Death of a Bachelorette
by Akiyotame
Summary: "Death of a Bachelorette" is a story about Eli, Umi and Maki as performers at a big band club. This follows the lives of Umi, Maki and Eli as they try their hardest to come to terms with their lives and find what they have been yearning for. tl;dr: I suck at good summaries, so its a story about love, drama, jealousy and finding happiness.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Blue, fix up your tie."

"Oh, thanks Eli…"

"Hey are you alright? You've been spacing out lately."

"I'm fine Maki, let's get the show started."

The three girls made their way up a set of stairs to a large stage. After they took their places on the stage, three separate spotlights shined on them. Beyond the stage sat many tables and a bar towards one side of the building. They were greeted by numerous applause from the guests enjoying their stay.

They were quickly silenced once an announcer's voice came from the speakers, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are honored to present your performance tonight, Soldier Game!"

The three bowed to the crowd and were responded by more applause. Maki straightened up first and grabbed three microphones off a nearby speaker, tossing each one effortlessly to her partners, "Welcome to the Big Band Wolf Club! My name is Nishikino Maki."

Maki bowed and stepped back, "My name is Ayase Eli, please enjoy your food and the music we will be performing for you tonight."

Eli bowed just as Maki did and stepped back for Umi, "And my name is Sonoda Umi, thank you for coming out tonight."

Umi stepped back and the trio stepped to side. On cue, a large spotlight lit up a big band behind them, "Tonight's music will be played by our big band, please give a round of applause to our lead guitarist, Kousaka Honoka, our lead bassist, Koizumi Hanayo, and our ever so energetic drummer, Hoshizora Rin!"

The three leaders of the big band smiled and bowed casually for the crowd, "Let's open with our first set," Umi suggested. The band and other girls nodded before taking their spots on stage, "3… 2… 1…"

* * *

"Thank you all so much for coming to the show tonight! Drive home safe!" Maki said into her mic.

It was late into the night around 3am when the club started emptying, "We perform here every night, please tell your friends," Eli added.

The blonde and redhead waited for their other partner to say something to send off their guests but the girl remained silent. She just stared into the crowd, almost as if she was searching for somebody.

"Hey, Umi! Thank our guests!" Eli yelled in a hushed tone.

Umi snapped out of what she was doing and brought the mic to her mouth too quickly. She ended up banging the mic against her lip, "Oww!"

"Umi, are you okay?" Maki rushed forward and placed her hands on her shoulder.

Umi managed to nod and mumble into her mic, "Come visit us tomorrow night."

The audience gave one last round of applause before the club slowly vacated. Umi sighed and tossed her mic over to Eli before jumping off stage and making her way to the bar, "A double shot of whiskey, Erena."

"Sure thi- Hey your lip is busted," the bartender grabbed a napkin and handed it to Umi. She accepted it and placed it gently over her lip, "Thanks…"

Eli kept her eyes on Umi and handed the two mics she had over to Maki, "Here, put these away. I'm going to go talk with her…"

Erena pulled out a double sized shot glass from under the counter and placed it in front of Umi before unscrewing the cap on the bottle and filling the glass up to the brim, "Here you go, kid."

"Hey, we're practically the same age," Umi responded with an irritated look.

Erena shrugged, "I'm still older than you."

Eli pulled a stool up next to Umi and took a seat, "Some vodka please, Boss."

Erena smiled, "Sure thing drook."

"Is that the only russian word you know?" Eli replied.

Erena pulled out a small glass and poured some vodka for the blonde, "Of course not, you always say harasho."

"You got me there," Eli gave a subtle laugh before sipping on her drink. She made a strange face and gulped the drink down, "Strong…"

"I'm sorry, did you want me to water it down for you?" Erena teased.

"Ha ha, very funny," Eli guzzled down the rest of her drink in one go and looked over at Umi, "Hey, Blue. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Umi responded.

"Come on, you messed up our farewell tonight and that napkin is the evidence. It's not like you to mess up like that on stage," Eli confronted.

"Just spacing out, that's all," Umi replied.

"Blue, we can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong," Eli placed her hand on Umi's shoulder and rubbed it gently.

"Thanks Eli, it's just an off night, that's all," she replied.

"She could be on her period," Maki pulled a stool up and sat on the other side of Umi. She glanced over at Erena and gave her a quick greeting, "Hey Ena, busy night?"

Erena shrugged, "Drinks come and go, nothing I can't handle. Can I get you something to drink, Red? Maybe a martini?"

"A virgin bloody mary, please," Maki replied.

"Coming right up." Erena replied with a wink.

Maki smiled and placed her hand on Umi's arm, "You okay? That mic messed up your lip back there."

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Umi replied.

"Are you sure? Let me check, just in case," Maki cupped Umi's cheeks and turned her face to get a better look, "Hmm… It doesn't look like a deep cut. Here let me get you something to help with that backstage."

Maki pulled on Umi's arm and the two disappeared behind stage, "I'm surprised those two aren't a thing anymore. I shipped them to hell and back," Erena commented.

"It was for the best, they both agreed on it too so there weren't any hard feelings," Eli replied.

"Do you know why they ended it?" Erena asked. Eli shook her head silently and beckoned Erena with another shot.

The two returned a few minutes later with a small case of cream, "Here, take a seat," Maki ordered. Umi did as she was told and let Maki rub the cream onto her lip, "This should help it heal quickly."

Umi smiled, "Thanks, Maki."

The redhead blushed, "Y-You're welcome."

"Hey Red, here's your bloody mary," Erena called out.

"Hmm? Oh, thanks Ena!" Maki grabbed her glass and took a few sips with a satisfied expression.

Eli checked her wristwatch and whistled, "Hey, we should get back to the apartment, it's almost 4."

"Stay for a few more drinks," Erena insisted.

Umi shook her head, "No thanks, Erena. Remember what happened the last time Eli got drunk?"

Eli shivered, "Don't remind me…"

Maki giggled, "Who was that Anju person you kept calling out for?"

"I was in a dark place, Red..." Eli replied, "Anyways, I'm going to go grab our stuff in the back and then we can head home."

Eli left the bunch and Maki tapped on Umi's shoulder, "Who's Anju?"

"The girl she dated while we were dating," Umi replied.

Maki raised her brow, "Hmm… I can't really remember…"

Umi waved it off and looked at Erena, "Thanks for the drinks, Erena."

"No problem, it's the least I can do for your wonderful performances," Erena bowed.

Eli returned with three bags and handed each one to their respective owners, "We'll see you tomorrow night, Boss."

The bartender waved the three of them goodbye, "See you, soldier game…"

* * *

Eli kicked the door to the apartment open and tossed her handbag onto a nearby counter before turning to face the others, "I don't know about you two, but I call taking the first bath!"

"Hey El! That's no fair, the youngest deserves to go first!" Maki objected.

"Can't hear ya, Red~" Eli covered her ears and danced her way to the bathroom.

"Geez… Can you believe she's the oldest of us, Umi?" Maki pouted.

"Just let her take the bath," Umi set down her bag next to Eli's and loosened up her tie. Once she was comfortable enough, she unbuttoned the first few buttons on her collared shirt and made her way to the kitchen.

Maki quickly set down her bag next to the others and followed after the blue haired girl, "But you know that she hogs all the hot water!"

"Then you can go next," Umi replied.

Maki stepped back in confusion, "Wha? Don't you want to take a bath too, Umi?"

The girl opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water to drink, "I think I'll just take one in the morning, I'm tired."

"O-oh…" Maki's expression fell, "Well if that's the case, then I guess I'll go next after El."

Umi chugged the bottle of water and tossed it into the garbage before smiling at the redhead, "Good night, Maki."

"Good night," Maki replied. Umi walked past the girl and pat her head gently before heading to her room.

Maki waited and listened until she could hear Umi close her door before heading over to the garbage and picking up the water bottle, "She didn't even finish all of it…"

She glanced at the bottle that still had at least a third of it still filled, "We shouldn't waste what we have…" She quickly unscrewed the cap and drank the rest of it before her face scrunched up, "Ugh, it tastes a little like whiskey…"

She tossed the now empty bottle into the trash and rested against the kitchen counter, "She's not the same…" Maki sighed.

She touched her lips and reminisced of the time when the two of them dated. Whenever they shared a drink together, it always tasted sweet. Nowadays, anything she drank after Umi would have a slight whiskey aftertaste to it.

"Bitter…" she whispered to herself. She pushed herself off the counter and made her way towards the fridge. She grabbed a jug of lemonade and poured herself a glass. Then she grabbed a bottle of club soda, mixing the two of them together before moving to the living room and taking a seat on the couch.

She took a sip of the concoction she made and turned on the TV to catch any late night programs that were on. Most of the channels were filled with commercials and there was barely anything to watch.

Her eyes started growing heavy and she almost fell asleep if it wasn't for a hand tapping on her shoulder, "Hey Red, I'm done, where's Blue?"

Maki yawned and rubbed her eyes, "Umi went ahead and slept."

"Oh, alright. Well I'm going to get some sleep too so don't forget to turn off the lights when you're done, alright?"

Maki nodded and finished the rest of her drink before walking towards the bathroom to take her much needed bath. She didn't take long, she was in and out in no more than 30 minutes.

She walked around the apartment for another 30 minutes so that her hair could have some time to dry from the bath. She tip toed her way to her room and reached for the handle before stopping and looking at Umi's door.

She moved over a few steps and turned the knob, "Umi…? Are you still awake?"

There was no response, but Maki snuck in either way, "Umi…?"

Maki stood by her bedside and looked down at the figure on the bed, Umi didn't even bother to change out of her clothes, or get underneath her blanket, "Geez… you'll get sick if you don't use a blanket."

She tugged on the blanket gently in hopes that Umi wouldn't wake up, but it failed, "Hmm? Who's there?" Maki held her breath for a few seconds and stood still, "I can see you."

She let go of her breath and hung her head, "It's Maki."

"Maki? What are you doing in here?" Umi asked tiredly.

The redhead tugged on the blanket, "You'll get sick if you don't use your blanket."

"Really? Is that the reason you came in here?" Umi asked suspiciously.

"... Kinda… Can I sleep with you tonight?" Maki asked nervously.

Umi sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Why? You have your own room, don't you?"

Maki played around with her fingers in response, "I just… wanna sleep next to you tonight… is that a no?"

Umi sighed and moved over, "Fine."

The redhead smiled and climbed on happily, "Hey, shouldn't you get changed? Your suit will get all wrinkled."

Umi laid down next to the girl, "It's alright, I can just iron it out before tomorrow night's performance. Besides, I'm too lazy to."

Umi closed her eyes and breathed slowly, "Hey Umi?"

"What?"

Maki turned her body to face the girl, "Have you ever thought about us… getting back together?"

Umi cleared her throat, "Maybe once or twice…"

"Then, maybe we shoul-"

"We can't, you know that already…" Umi interrupted.

Maki frowned, "I… I'm sorry for bringing it up…"

"Let's just get some sleep…" Umi repositioned herself in a more comfortable position and closed her eyes.

"Can I at least hold onto you?" Maki asked.

"Do as you please…" Umi dismissed.

Maki flashed a slight smile before scooting herself closer to Umi and hugging onto her. She used Umi's chest as a pillow and eventually the two of them drifted off to sleep in anticipation for their performance tomorrow.

* * *

"Hey Blue, fix your tie."

"Thanks Eli."

"Let's give them one hell of a show tonight."

The trio did their usual routine and stepped on stage, introducing themselves, the big band and performing their sets. During intermission, Erena made her way to the stage and handed Umi a glass of whiskey, "Here you go, kid."

"You know I don't drink while on the job," Umi replied.

"Can't help you there, this was paid for by that cheery looking woman over there in one of the booths," Erena pointed to a booth near the center of the room and on cue, an ash haired girl waved happily with a smile.

Umi's eyes widened a bit and she grabbed the drink from Erena immediately, "Tell her I said thanks."

Erena saluted and left the stage, "Will do."

Umi made eye contact with the girl and raised her glass as a sign of acknowledgement, "This next song will be dedicated to the lovely lady that bought me this drink!"

Eli pulled Umi in and whispered into her ear, "Hey Blue! What are you doing? You know that we don't do that kind of stuff!"

"She bought me a drink, why can't I return the favor?" Umi asked.

Maki walked over and pushed her way into the conversation, "We're already doing all of them a favor by performing for them."

"Then I'll do a solo to make up for it, you know how much I hate doing them," Umi replied.

The other two glanced at each other with concerned looks before sighing simultaneously, "Fine, you're doing a solo. Now."

Eli pulled Maki off stage and a single spotlight centered onto Umi, "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, I will be performing a solo for you."

The crowd cheered in response, "If you are a regular, you already know that solos are very rare here. You can thank the kind woman over in booth 7 for this."

Umi raised her glass and took a sip of it before heading towards the back of the stage and setting it on top of the grand piano. She took her seat and had a microphone brought over, "Hey Hanayo, I'm going to need you on Sax for this."

"What are we playing?" she asked.

Umi whispered the song into Hanayo's ear and the girl nodded, "This next song is called Powder Snow, originally by Ogata Rina. Please enjoy."

Umi began playing a melodic tune on the piano and when it came time for her to sing, she approached the mic,

"The powder snow gently come down from the sky,  
The snow I accepted in my hand was lonely,  
Are you looking somewhere? You're standing still,  
Are you remembering while looking at the sky?

To the you who walked so happily on the snow  
I truly saw you so dear,"

Eli nudged on Maki's arm, "Hey, isn't this the song Blue sings whenever she thinks she's alone?"

"I think so…?" Maki watched cautiously and glanced back and forth between Umi and the woman in booth 7.

"Even now, I still remember the white of the snow of that day,  
I will never forget the warmth of the lips I first kissed,  
I still love you.

The powder snow falls down on me, year after year,  
It reminds me of your warm kindness,  
Remembering you when you talked to me, looking as if you were having so much fun,  
Makes my heart yearn for you,"

Hanayo played a smooth jazzy tone with her saxophone to accompany Umi's piano and paid special attention so that her saxophone wouldn't overpower Umi's voice.

The crowd watched in silence and awe as they were taken back by Umi's beautiful voice. It was a rare performance and they were lucky to see such talent in action.

Eli nudged on Maki's arm, "Hey hey, isn't Blue showing us up right now?"

"Shush…" Maki quieted Eli down and watched carefully.

"Even now, are you having a dream about that white world we saw on that day?  
I will never forget the coldness of the fingertips I touched that time,  
I still love you.

Even now, I still remember the white of the snow of that day,

I will never forget the warmth of the lips I first kissed,  
The powder snow is like you, flawless and beautiful,  
I want to become like that too, so I wish on the snow.  
I still love you."

Umi held onto the last note, slowly deafening it with the piano. Once the room was filled with silence, Umi was met with an unusual set of applause. They were much quieter than usual, it wasn't an applause for the sake of courtesy. It was an applause filled with respect and admiration.

She stood up and bowed before taking another sip of her drink. She made eye contact with the girl in booth 7 and gave her a quick wink before Eli and Maki joined her back on stage.

She felt pats on her back from her partners and she smiled, "Now, let's continue with the show, shall we?"

* * *

The night went on and more drinks were given to Umi by the girl in booth 7. She couldn't help but accept the drinks every time Erena presented them to her.

By the end of the night, Umi was on the edge of tipsy and if any drop of liquor were to enter her system now, she would be a drunken mess, "Hey Blue, you okay?"

"I am all fine and dandy, drook. Is that what Erena calls you? That's a funny name, drook," her speech was obviously starting to slur and become less and less comprehensible.

"It just means friend in russian, how about you go over and sit with Erena while Red and I help the band get cleaned up?" Eli suggested.

"Aye aye, to Erena I go!" Umi sped off clumsily to the bar. Eli smiled and returned to helping the band get their instruments packed up.

Umi slumped on a stool and looked up at Erena, "Have I ever told you, that if I had an older sister, I would want her to be you?"

Erena laughed in response, "If that were true, I would have my hands full, kid."

Umi giggled and slumped over on the counter, "I think I had too much to drink, you could say that I was 'whiskey'd' away."

"Please stop. I'll kick you out." Erena threatened.

An unfamiliar giggling echoed from behind Umi and she turned around to see the ash haired girl taking a seat next to her, "I guess I went overboard with the drinks, huh?"

"I'm not supposed to drink while on stage," Umi replied.

The girl giggled again and held out her hand, "Where are my manners? My name is Minami Kotori."

Umi shook the girl's hand, "Sonoda Umi, at your service. Das my boss over there."

Kotori looked toward Erena who bowed to her, "Thank you for coming tonight."

"Oh no, thank you for having such a wonderful club," Kotori replied.

"Hey Erena, get her a drink, on the house," Umi blurted.

Erena frowned, "You know I can't do that, kid."

"Why not? You give us drinks after closing time all the time!" Umi argued.

"That's because you work here and drinks are free for workers, they are not for customers," Erena barked back.

"Well then put it on my tab," Umi replied.

Erena sighed, "It doesn't work like that, kid."

"I don't need a drink, I'm fine," Kotori spoke up to quiet them down, "I'm just a big fan of soldier game so I thought I could show support for my favorite member."

"I'm your favorite? There are favorites?!" Umi blurted.

"You mean you don't know? You three are like idolized around here," Kotori explained.

"Hmm…"

"Yeah, I have a few friends who obsess over Maki and some others who are all about Eli," she continued to explain.

"Is that so? That would explain why I've seen you around here lately," Umi replied.

"E-Ehh? You noticed?" Kotori blushed.

"It's hard to forget a pretty face," Umi responded.

Kotori shook her head and looked away, "No way, I'm pretty? Ahhh… Umi said I was pretty…" Kotori clutched her chest and took a deep breath before continuing, "Are you sure you should be saying this kind of stuff to a stranger? Wouldn't your girlfriend or boyfriend be upset?"

Umi shook her head, "I'm not seeing anybody at the moment."

Kotori smiled at that response and pulled up her purse, "Do you mind if I give you my number then?"

Umi blushed, "Umm… Yeah sure, go ahead."

Kotori brought out a piece of paper and a pen, quickly writing down her number and giving it to Umi, "Call me soon."

Umi nodded and Kotori got up to leave. Before reaching the door, her phone began to vibrate, "Hello?"

"Is this soon enough?"

Kotori turned around to see Umi glancing at her with a phone next to her ear. Kotori blushed, "Would you mind spending the rest of the night with me?"

Umi hung up her phone and looked at Erena, "I'm heading out, Erena. Tell the others I left early."

Erena nodded and watched Umi make her way over to Kotori. She wrapped her arm around the ash haired girl's shoulder and pushed the door open for the both of them to leave.

* * *

"So, how did you end up at the club?" Umi asked.

Kotori giggled, "It's a funny story actually. I was asked out by a friend of mine, he thought that the club would be a great place for us to bond."

"So it didn't work out with him? I didn't see you with somebody tonight," Umi asked on.

Kotori shook her head, "I ended up looking at you more than I did at him."

Umi blushed in response, "So the reason you come to the club frequently is because…"

"Of you, duh!" Kotori replied happily.

Umi giggled, "I must have made you spend a lot of money then, I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's no big deal. My mom owns a fashion industry so money isn't that much of a problem for me. Plus paying to hear you perform is worth it."

Umi blushed even more, "I'm not that special…"

"Of course you are! After tonight, I think everyone has a new level of respect for you!" Kotori comforted.

Umi shook her head, "That was because I had to do it for messing up our set."

Kotori's expression saddened, "Did I get you in trouble? I'm sorry…"

"No, it's alright. I usually don't accept drinks when on stage," Umi replied.

"Huh?" Kotori wore a confused look on her face, "Then why did you accept mine?"

"Well… I've kind of had my eyes on you for a while. So when Erena told me that drink was from you, I was compelled to take it," Umi replied.

Kotori smiled, "Whiskey, right?"

Umi raised her brow, "Hmm?"

"Your boss, I asked her what you liked to drink and she said whiskey," Kotori replied.

"Oh, yeah that's right."

"Why whiskey? I always saw you more as someone who enjoys fine wine," Kotori continued.

"It just helps me get my mind off things…"

Kotori saw a loneliness in Umi's eyes and decided to change the subject, "I prefer martinis, shaken, not stirred."

Umi scoffrd, "Okay , you know martinis are meant to be stirred right?"

Kotori poked at Umi's arm, "I know that silly, I was just joking with you," and started giggling to herself.

Umi couldn't help but smile, the girl's laugh was adorable and the way her face scrunched up when she laughed was cute, "Your laugh is really cute, you know?"

Kotori immediately shut up and blushed, "Really? You're just saying that to get me to quiet down, aren't you?"

"No, of course not. I mean it."

Kotori felt her heart race, "People tend to say my laugh is a little bit on the annoying side… so thank you."

Umi nodded and glanced around, "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, how much further to your place?"

"See that big building over there?" Kotori pointed towards a large tower.

"You live in there?!" Umi accidentally raised her voice from the shock.

Kotori jumped in response and held onto Umi's arm, "Y-Yeah, is something wrong?"

"That is the Diamond Highrise! Everyone knows that's where all the big wigs and rich folk live," Umi explained.

Kotori looked up at Umi with a confused stare, "I told you that my mom was an owner of a fashion industry, didn't I?"

"Yeah but… wait, what company does your mother own?"

Kotori took a deep breath and blew through her lips making a strange noise, "Oh boy, where do I start? Well she owns Minami Industries, which has a bunch of smaller branches such as Minami Cosmetics, Minami Fashion, Minami Furnishings, Minami Lingerie-"

Umi held her hand up to get the girl to stop talking for a second, "Okay, okay, wait, where did all these other things come from?"

"Well I just say she owns a fashion industry to lighten the load or shock on people I meet. Plus, people like to take advantage of rich people so I want to avoid doing that," she explained.

Umi stumbled a little from the shocking discovery, "If you have this fortune, why do you come to the Big Band Wolf Club when you can afford much better places?"

"Because you're there!" she responded with a smile. Umi blushed and looked away quickly which made Kotori giggle, "Despite how dashing and ikemen you are, even you can be cute too huh?"

Umi's heart raced even more than it ever did when she was with Maki, or anyone else for that matter. She remained silent and kept her answers short for the rest of the walk to the highrise apartment.

* * *

"Hey Ena? Where did Umi go?"

"Oh, hey Red. You girls all done packing up?" Erena set down the glass she was cleaning and focused her attention on Maki.

The redhead nodded and looked around the club once more to see if she could spot the blue haired girl in question, "Where's Umi?"

"She left early," she answered.

"What?! Why? She's not fit to go home alone!" Maki showed obvious concern for the girl.

Erena shook her head to help calm her down, "She left with someone."

"Who?"

Erena pulled out a glass and began pouring Maki's usual drink, "A woman named Kotori, they were really hitting it off when you and drook were helping with the stage."

"Why would she leave with another woman? She hasn't done that since we-" Maki caught herself and grabbed the drink in attempts to cover herself up.

"You still love her, don't you Red?" Erena asked calmly.

Maki blushed and drank her drink until it was empty. She set the glass down hard on the counter and stared at it before opening her mouth to answer, "Yeah…"

"Why don't you try getting back together?" Erena asked.

Maki shook her head and raised her glass for some more of her drink, "Whenever I try to bring it up, she shoots it down instantly…"

"That sounds rough, Red…" Erena filled the glass again and leaned on the counter to listen.

"I mean… I know that we agreed to break up but… it was more like she wanted it to end. I still wanted to be her girlfriend…" Maki gulped down her drink and slid her glass for another, "Martini please…"

"Are you sure, Red? You never drink."

Maki nodded, "Please…"

The bartender reluctantly stirred a martini for the redhead and waited for her to continue, "I was so happy with her, I guess I wasn't enough? Whenever we were together I saw this sort of loneliness in her eyes, and no matter what I did, I couldn't make it go away…" Maki gulped down half her martini and rested her head on her hand.

Erena remained silent, "I still love her Ena… I don't know what to do… I can't help but feel like I'm some kind of nuisance or that I wasn't good enough for her…"

Erena reached out and pet Maki softly, "There there, Red… you did the best you could for her, that's all anybody could ask for."

Maki sniffled and gulped down the rest of her martini, "Keep this a secret between us, okay?"

Erena nodded and returned to cleaning more glasses until Eli joined them, "Hey Red, where's Blue?"

"She left early with someone," Maki answered.

Eli flashed surprise, "What? No way, with who?"

The redhead shrugged, "Some woman named Kotori."

"I guess Blue was feeling a little bit lucky after all those drinks, huh?" Eli commented arrogantly.

Maki felt a stinging pain in her chest after hearing her words, "Hey El? Can you go grab our things in the back?"

"Sure thing, Red!"

Eli walked off and Maki pounded her fist on the counter, "Hey, hey! Take it easy Red, drook didn't know!"

"I know! It still hurt to hear…" Maki massaged her hand and covered her face, "What's happening to me Ena?"

"I think it might be jealousy," she answered.

"Jealously? Yeah… maybe you're right…" Maki look down with a depressed expression.

"Hey Red! I got our stuff, should we head out?" Eli returned with the bags in hand.

Maki stood up and started walking, "Yeah, let's go back home."

The duo made their way out of the club and started their walk back home, "You okay Red? You're usually more talkative," Eli asked.

"Yeah, I'm just a little tired tonight," Maki replied.

Eli's concerned faced gradually relaxed, "Ahh okay… do you wanna take a bath first?"

"Sure…" Maki kept her eyes fixed to the ground until they reached their apartment. Eli stepped in first and headed straight for the fridge to get a drink.

"Do you want anything, Red?" the blonde asked.

"Make my drink, I'll get it when I finish," Maki replied.

Eli nodded and Maki made her way to the bathroom after grabbing a change of clothes.

* * *

Eli grabbed herself two glasses and made Maki's usual drink and pouring herself a little bit of alcohol before stepping towards the window to get a glimpse outside.

The three of them weren't exactly the richest trio around. In fact, their apartment could be considered on the lower end of the average level, but it did have a nice comfort to it.

Eli stared into her drink and sighed, "Damn it, Blue… You're hurting Red, you know?" She gripped her glass a little tighter when she thought back to what she said to Maki earlier at the bar, it must have hurt her to hear that.

Eli shook her head and gulped down the rest of her drink, "Being the cheerful one is a lot of hard work, you two…"

She took a deep breath and felt her cell phone buzzing in her pocket. When she pulled it out her eyes widened and she hesitated to answer. She let it ring thoroughly before giving in and sliding her finger across the screen to answer it, "...Hello…?"

"Eliiii!" the voice cheered.

"What is it, Anju? It's late…" Eli replied with little emotion.

"Late? But you're always up at this time because of your job, right?" she replied back.

Eli sighed, "Yeah… Look, Anju, what is this about?"

"I just wanted to hear your voice…" she replied.

Eli rubbed her eyes and made her way back to the fridge for another drink, "We can't keep doing this…"

There was some silence from the other end for several seconds before Anju spoke up, "What do you mean?"

"This, late night calls, favors, all of it!" Eli voice suddenly raised and she could hear the girl on the other end gasp in surprise, "... I'm sorry for yelling…"

Eli took a deep breath to reinforce her voice, "Look Anju, there are only two things we can do here, either we get back together, or we cut it off."

"Why does it have to be so black and white?" she asked frantically.

"It's better for the both of us if we either completely devote to each other, or stay away from each other…" Eli responded.

"Well… if that's the case then how about we… you know… try again?" Anju asked.

Eli's eyebrow raised, "Try again? Are you sure?"

"Stop asking me these questions before I second guess myself!" Anju responded frantically. She took a deep breath to calm herself down before speaking again, "How about we go on a date tomorrow?"

"You know I work nights," Eli reminded.

Anju sighed, "Then we'll go on a date before you perform, is that okay?"

"Okay then, where do you want to meet?" Eli asked.

"I'll come pick you up, don't worry about it!" Anju replied happily.

"If it's settled, goodnight," Eli reached her finger to end the call before she could get a reply. It was a harsh and jerky move, but Eli had to end the call before she heard Anju say something that would make her turn desperate. She had a knack for making Eli weak.

The blonde sighed and set her glass in the sink before entering her room and shutting the door rather forcefully.

* * *

Maki flipped the basin over her head and let the lukewarm water trickle down her body. She kept her eyes shut and dropped the basin down with no care. She stood up and stepped into the bath to relax herself. Her body was instantly warmed up and the soothing heat of the bath released the strain from her muscles.

She took a deep breath and submerged herself underwater for a couple of seconds before emerging just enough to have her nose out of water to breathe. She hugged her knees and used her mouth to blow and bubble up the water around her.

"Why is Umi out with some random girl?" she thought to herself, "She would never do that."

Maki looked at her distorted reflection in the water and dunked herself in once again, this time staying underwater for several seconds, "Why not me? Am I not good enough for her anymore?"

Numerous thoughts raced through Maki's head, no matter where her thoughts went they lead to negative ones. She couldn't see a happy ending, nor could she see a new light. Her mind was starting to cloud up with jealousy and anger that she had never experienced before.

Maki burst through the surface of the bath water, "I can't let that woman take Umi away from me!" she yelled.

Maki hopped out of the bath and quickly dried herself off. She left her change of clothes in the bathroom and swiftly stepped into her room for a more casual outfit.

Maki stepped out from her room and looked around, "Where the heck is El? Ugh whatever," Maki grabbed her set of keys and stormed out of the apartment.

After some time, Maki walked past the now unlit sign to the Big Band Wolf Club and to the door next to it, knocking on it with great force, "Ena?! You there?! I need to talk to you!"

Maki knocked on the door more impatiently until a half dressed woman opened the door with a sleepy look on her face. She yawned, "Red…? I just fell asleep, what do you want?"

"Where did Umi go?" Maki asked.

Erena yawned and rubbed the back of her head, "I already told you that she left with someone, didn't I?"

Maki's brow furrowed, "Yeah but with who?!"

"Some woman named Minami Kotori… I think," Erena answered.

"Thanks Ena," Maki turned to continue her search but was stopped when her hand was grabbed.

Erena looked at her with a stern expression, "Whatever you're going to do tonight, you better expect someone to get hurt. Even yourself, Red. Be careful…"

Maki ripped her hand away, "Yeah, I know."

"Night, Red…" Erena yawned once more before closing the door and leaving the redhead alone. Maki didn't even think about what Erena had just said until now.

If she were to find Umi, what would happen? Would Umi be furious with her? Would she end up being the one who gets hurt? What if this event changes everything the two of them ever had together? Or what if this would be the thing that breaks them up for good?

Maki shook her head and wanted to cry when all of these thoughts invaded her mind, "I have to do this," she said to herself. She reached into her pocket a pulled out her phone so that she could start searching for who Minami Kotori was.

"Holy cow she's big game…" Maki whispered to herself. She saw basic information about her with a single search thanks to the well known name in business, "What was a girl like her doing in a club like this?"

Maki shook her head and continued her search, "Okay so… if she's rich, she has to be living in that Diamond Highrise building where all the big wigs and rich folk live."

Maki looked up and could see the building from where she was standing and gave herself a reassuring nod, "Whatever happens tonight… I'm bringing Umi back home."


	2. Chapter 2

Umi stumbled into the apartment with Kotori underneath her shoulder, "Easy there, we're here," Kotori reassured, "Light's on, please!"

On command, the apartment was lit up, "Woah…" Umi gasped in awe.

Kotori giggled, "Do you want to try for yourself?"

Umi nodded, "Umm… dim lights? Please?" The lights almost instantly began dimming down after the voice program registered what Umi had said, "That is something else…"

"Here, let me take you to the couch so you can get all nice and comfortable," Kotori pulled Umi gently and set her down carefully on a nearby couch.

"Thanks…" Umi looked around the apartment and gaped her mouth in awe. It was unlike any apartment that she had ever seen before, it was stylish and modern. The couches alone were softer and more comfortable than her own bed back at home.

"I'll prepare a really late dinner, do you have anything you like to eat?" Kotori asked.

Umi scratched her cheek sheepishly, "Anything is fine really, but do you by chance have any manjuu?"

Kotori tilted her head, it was strange to hear that someone would want manjuu during a dinner, "Umm… let me check," Kotori opened her rather large fridge and searched around with her eyes, "Hmm… I don't have any right now but I can call someone downstairs to prepare something."

"Oh no, that's too troublesome, it's 4 in the morning. I don't want to bother anybody," Umi denied.

Kotori shook her head, "No it's fine! We have a sweets shop down in the lounge that wakes up early to prepare their sweets. Plus I'm really good friends with the people down at the Homura Sweets shop so they would be fine with it!"

Umi rubbed the back of her neck showing that she was still uneasy about the entire thing, "If it's okay…"

"They wouldn't mind at all, let me give them a quick call!" Kotori pranced over to a nearby phone and started dialing in a number. After a few seconds her face was lit with activity, "Yes hello? Are you open yet?"

Kotori nodded her head as the conversation went on, "I know it's early, but I'm craving some manjuu. 30 minutes? Excellent, I'll pay you extra for taking the time out of your schedule for this!"

She hung up the phone and spun on her heels to face Umi, "Your order awaits m'lady."

"Please don't do that," Umi responded.

Kotori frowned, "Aww, why not?"

"Because you just remind me of Mak-" Umi caught herself before she could finish her sentence.

"Mak?" Kotori repeated with confusion.

"Hey, what are you making for dinner?" Umi asked in attempts to change the subject.

"Hmm… I don't know…" Kotori made her way back to the fridge and looked inside to see if she could spot anything to cook, "How are you with pasta?"

Umi shrugged, "I haven't had any in awhile, I guess."

"Then it's settled! I make the best chicken alfredo… at least out of all my friends, haha…" Kotori laughed nervously which made Umi smile, "Give me an hour to prepare it, you can relax and watch TV if you want."

Umi nodded and took a comfortable position on the couch. Kotori focused her attention on preparing the dinner. She grabbed a box of pasta and set it in a boiling pot of water for it to cook while she worked on seasoning and cooking the chicken. After thirty minutes there was a knock on the door which made Kotori jump, "Ahh! Umi? Could you get that for me?"

Kotori waited for a response but everything was silent except for the noise of the water boiling, "Umi?" Kotori walked over to the couch and saw the blue haired girl sleeping peacefully on the couch. Kotori couldn't help but smile at how innocent she looked while she slept.

She answered the door and received the manjuu that she ordered earlier then set it down on the table in front of Umi. After that she went back to finish preparing the dinner.

After another thirty minutes passed, Kotori had two dishes prepared for the dinner and set them down on the table. Then she pranced over to Umi and shook her lightly until she awoke, "Kotori…?"

"Hey there sleepy head, dinner's ready," she said softly.

Umi sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Sorry, I intended to close my eyes for only a few minutes…" Umi yawned and her eyes widened when she saw the small box in front of her, "Is this the manjuu?"

Umi reached out to it, but Kotori snatched it away before she could get her hands on it. She was almost disappointed, "You have to finish the dinner first or else this will ruin your appetite."

Umi frowned, "I guess that's fair…"

Kotori offered the girl a helping hand and led her to the dinner table where the two took their seats, "This looks very well prepared," Umi commented.

Kotori gazed at Umi just as she was taking her first bite. Her face showed anticipation and nervousness, she was worried if her food tasted good or not.

Umi took a bite of the pasta and chewed on it slowly to savor the flavor, it was good but it wasn't at the level of a world class chef, "It's really good," she complimented.

Kotori clutched her chest and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, I was worried that I may have put so much salt or seasoning…" The girl picked up her fork and began eating the food she had prepared for herself.

The two sat in silence eating the meal Kotori had prepared for several seconds before Kotori cleared her throat, "So… How did you end up at the club?"

Umi looked up and finished swallowing the food in her mouth to answer, "I was looking for a job, and I ended up there."

"Well that's a rather average story, there has to be more, right?" Kotori asked.

"I guess it's pretty average. Eli was the only one performing there at the time," Umi continued.

Kotori tilted her head, "Oh really? What about Maki? Was she not there when you entered the picture?"

"I went in for an interview with Erena and she signed me on for afternoon performances. I would go on stage before Eli and that was it," Umi replied.

Kotori stared in confusion, she asked about Maki but Umi avoided the topic and continued with the story, "Eventually, the club had to make budget cuts and could only stay open during the nights. So basically I was out of a job, but that's when Eli suggested to Erena that maybe we should share the stage."

Kotori nodded along, still curious about the avoidance of Maki, "So we went up on stage together and we sang this one song that was an instant club favorite, Storm In Lover. After that I started performing nights and that's how I ended up at the club."

"Thanks for the food," Umi set down the fork on her now empty plate.

Kotori looked at her with shock, "You finished already?!"

Umi nodded, "I eat quickly, I was never the type to sit down and eat a meal for an hour or so."

Kotori looked down at her plate which was half finished and tilted her head in thought, "I could save this for tomorrow, I'm a little full already."

Umi nodded awkwardly in response and Kotori gathered their plates. She set Umi's plate down in the sink and got out some plastic wrap for her leftovers before setting it in the fridge, "How about we watch something for a little?"

Umi followed Kotori to the couch and the two took a seat next to each other. Kotori turned on the TV and coincidentally there was a romance movie playing on the current channel. The ash haired girl laughed sheepishly and blushed. She glanced over at Umi who looked to be unaffected by the romance.

Kotori cleared her throat to break the silence, "How many relationships have you been in, Umi?"

"Just a couple," she answered.

"Oh really? I've been in and out of relationships constantly. Still haven't found the right one haha…" Kotori giggled almost depressingly and placed her hand over Umi's, "I'm hoping that you might be the one I've been looking for."

Kotori leaned in closer to Umi and the two gazed at each other with tints of red scattered across their cheeks, "Me too…" Umi replied back.

The blue haired girl leaned in closer and kissed Kotori gently. She immediately got a response from the girl and felt her lips starting to press up against hers. Maybe it was because of what was on TV or maybe it was because of the mood, but Umi felt compelled to lead onto Kotori.

What started off as a gentle kiss progressed into something more. They kept their lips locked together as if it was the first true kiss that they ever had. Despite their past with romance, they haven't felt this surge of emotion since they were young. The raw passion and admiration for one another through a simple kiss that cannot be replicated so easily.

Umi pushed on Kotori's shoulder until she was laying on top of her. Their lips tangled together, one never overpowered the other. It was easy to lose track of time or awareness when overcome with such raw emotion.

The two came to a stop when a loud banging on the apartment door interrupted the two of them, "Who is that?" Umi asked.

Kotori shook her head, "I don't know, let me go answer it." Umi climbed off of Kotori and helped her up.

The two had kept their eyes closed throughout the entire experience so when they made eye contact, their cheeks instantly flared. Umi turned away and wiped the bit of saliva that trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Kotori did the same and made her way to the door, "Who is it?"

There was no response.

Kotori titled her head and unlocked the door. In an instant, the door swung open, hitting Kotori's nose and causing her to fall back, "Kotori?!"

Kotori sat up and rubbed her nose, thankfully it wasn't broken or cut, "Ow ow ow…" she looked up to see a familiar redhead standing at the doorway, "Maki?"

Umi entered the picture and her eyes widened, "M-Maki? What're you doing here?"

The redhead remained silent and kept a stern expression on her face. She glanced down at Kotori with a glare which sent mixed signals into the poor girl.

"It's late, shouldn't you be back at the apartment?" Umi asked.

Maki took a step forward before charging at Umi and pinning her against the wall, "Maki! What're yo-"

Umi felt a forceful pair of lips press against hers before she had enough strength to push the redhead off, "What's gotten into you?!"

Maki backed away and touched her lips, "Your lips… a sweet taste," she looked down at Kotori, "You two have already kissed, haven't you?"

Kotori got up and dusted herself off, "I-I think that's none of your business…"

"Like hell it is!" Maki yelled. She stepped up to the blue haired girl and snatched her by the tie, "Why?!"

Umi wore an expression of confusion, "Why what?!"

Maki grinded her teeth and pointed at Kotori, "Why her?!"

"I… she bought me drink-" Umi was quickly interrupted by a slap from Maki.

"Don't lie to me…" Maki's grip loosened and she stepped back a few paces, "Why her? Why not me?"

"Maki…" Umi reached out to comfort the girl but her hand was slapped away.

"Was I not good enough for you?! I did everything that I could to make you happy! It made me happy to see the smile on your face! So why did you want to break up?!" Maki's eyes began to shed tears as she yelled at her ex-girlfriend.

"I thought we were going to get married! We were going to live together and be happy! I didn't want to break up with you, why did you want to end it with me?!" Maki broke down after she lost her breath from yelling and fell to her knees. She brought her hands up to wipe away her tears but they kept flowing, "I love you, Umi… why don't you love me back?"

Umi stared back at Maki and all she could do was watch with her jaw dropped, "I'll um… I'll leave you two alone…" Kotori stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind her.

"Maki…" Umi approached the redhead calmly and knelt down next to her.

"Just tell me why…" she murmured.

Umi's words were caught in her throat, "I… it's hard to explain…"

The redhead sniffled and wiped away new tears, "Then at least try…"

"I just… I loved you too Maki but…"

"Let me guess, it wasn't meant to be…" Maki mocked.

Umi frowned, "No, it's not that at all." The redhead remained as silent as she could, "I just felt that… your love was wasted on me."

"What kind of crappy excuse is that…?" Maki muttered, "I never once thought that I wasted my love on you. I love you Umi, I always have. Love is something always given, not wasted..."

Maki's tears came to a slow stop as she continued on, "I didn't care about all the technical things. I only cared about you, everything I did was for you. It wasn't a "waste" at all…"

Umi couldn't find the words to reply back to her. Maki laughed sarcastically, "It's funny… I came here to try and get you back and this ends up happening. I'm such an idiot…"

Umi pat her head, "You're not an idio-"

Maki slapped her hand away, "No… don't do that…" she looked up at Umi with a tearful smile, "If you do, I won't be able to fall out of love with you…"

Maki stood up and left without another word. She made eye contact with Kotori and this time it was without any animosity, "I'm sorry for hitting your nose…"

Kotori waved her hand to dismiss it and watched Maki walk down the hall slowly before stepping back into her apartment. She saw Umi sitting up against a wall hugging her knees and approached her slowly, "Are you okay?"

Umi nodded slowly, "Yeah… just feeling like garbage right now…"

Kotori sat next to her and placed her hand over Umi's, "Come on, don't say that…"

"I hurt her more than I could ever imagine, Kotori… I'm scum…" Umi fought her urges to tear up and instead grinded her teeth.

Kotori remained silent and held Umi's hand a little tighter, "How about we get some sleep?"

"Do you have any whiskey?" Umi asked in an almost broken tone.

Kotori frowned, "No, I'm sorry… I don't keep alcohol at home."

Umi hugged her knees tighter and buried her face into her arms, "I'm sorry that this had to happen…"

Kotori gently brushed Umi's hair to help calm her down, "It's okay… it's my fault for inviting you…"

Umi's head sprung up immediately, "No! This is all my fault, I'm not going to let you tell me that you're the one to blame…"

She let go of her legs and slowly extended them until they were comfortable again before resting her head on Kotori's shoulder, "What should I do, Kotori?"

The ash haired girl gently rubbed Umi's hand and struggled to find the right words to say, "I… think that this is something you have to come to terms to on your own…"

"But I can't find the answers by myself, Kotori…" Umi replied.

"All I can do is help you try to find them… if things work out between us… and with Maki…" Kotori answered.

Umi stared down at Kotori's hand around hers and gripped tighter, "Let's go to sleep, Umi…" The blue haired girl nodded and Kotori guided the two of them into her bedroom, "I might not be able to do much, but I'll be here for you."

"Thank you, Kotori…" The two climbed into Kotori's bed and Umi wrapped her arm around the girl. She was nice to hold and it made Umi feel a little better. Despite the comfort it took her much longer to fall asleep than it normally did.

* * *

Maki stormed out of the apartment lobby as quickly as she could and ducked into a nearby alley to catch her breath. Her plan was a complete mess and there was no way things would ever be the same between her and Umi.

"I'm such a screw up!" she yelled to herself. Her voice caught the attention of a few pedestrians but they went back to what occupied them seconds before.

Maki felt her knees losing strength and slid down the wall until she was firmly seated on the ground. She wanted to cry, but most of her tears were lost from earlier. She sat in silence and hugged her knees, "What am I going to do…?" she muttered to herself.

The redhead took a deep breath and used the support of the wall to help herself up, "I should probably get home…"

It took a lot of strength and willpower for her to bring even one foot forward. Was this the burden of love that she never noticed before? The absolute dread and despair that takes toll on her body after her eyes were opened to the fact that she could never get Umi back?

Maki's mind drifted off into nothingness. She couldn't think about Umi, she couldn't think about herself. All she could do was exist.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Maki was pulled back into reality when the source of the voice in front was on the ground staring back at her, "Are you going to help up or what?!"

Maki unconsciously held out her hand and helped the girl up. She had crimson colored eyes and her hair was tied in a rather childish style, "I'm sorry… I wasn't watching…"

"Yeah, I noticed, thanks for pointing that out," the girl replied sarcastically.

Maki's eyebrow furrowed after hearing the girl's tone, "I'm having a bad night, I'm sorry."

The look on the girl's face softened when she saw the sadness plastered over Maki's, "Hey, are you alright?"

"It's none of your business…" Maki replied.

"Well, if a girl is out here walking alone just a few blocks away from the red light district at 4am with an expression like that, I'm going to make it my business," the girl insisted.

Maki pushed her way past the girl, "Just let me through..."

"Look, I live just about 20 minutes from here, how about you spend the night there? I have an extra bed and I won't do anything strange to you," the girl offered.

Maki stopped in her footsteps and looked back, "Why would you offer a place to stay to a stranger you just met?"

"Well you don't look very menacing; kinda hot actually. But that's not the point, you're in danger around here from creepy guys and girls," she answered.

Maki stepped towards the unnamed girl, "And how do I know if you aren't one of these 'creepy' girls?"

"I live with my mom and three siblings, is that enough?" she answered back.

"A mother and three siblings? Isn't it weird to bring home a stranger to them then?" Maki asked back.

"Look, just let me help you out, my name is Yazawa Nico," the girl held out her hand and smiled.

Maki stared at it and reluctantly shook her hand, "Nishikino Maki… nice to meet you."

Nico held the redhead's hand tightly and pulled her forward, "Follow me, my house isn't that far away." Maki followed almost effortlessly. She was tired and had no energy or motivation to resist anymore.

After several minutes, the two girls arrived in front of a house that was on the lower middle class level, "Welcome to casa de Yazawa!"

Maki raised her brow, "What?"

Nico gulped, "...Nevermind."

Nico pulled on a lanyard sticking out of her purse and a large cluster of keys and keychains emerged. Maki looked at it with shock as Nico effortlessly chose the right key and unlocked the door.

"How do you keep track of all of those?" Maki asked.

"If you're as busy as I am, you manage," Nico replied.

Maki gave her the benefit of the doubt and followed Nico into her home. Nico locked the door behind her and held up her finger to signal Maki to be quiet, "The family is asleep, so try to stay quiet."

Maki nodded in response and followed Nico's lead upstairs. She quietly opened a door at the end of the hall and looked at the redhead, "You can stay in here for the night."

"Thanks…" Maki replied.

The two stepped into the room and Nico flipped on the lights, "It's a little small but it manages," Nico laughed.

Maki took a seat on the small bed and looked around awkwardly, "Anyways, I have to get some sleep while I can, I have work in a few hours. If there's anything you need, just ask. I'm next door."

Maki nodded and watched Nico leave the room quietly. She had to admit that this sort of hospitality was very heartwarming. Despite the events of tonight, her spirits started to lighten, even if it was just a little bit.

Maki laid down on the bed and took a deep breath. The room smelled nice, there was a sweet scent of perfume lingering in the air, most likely from Nico.

"Cherry Blossoms? Peaches?" Maki quietly muttered the possible scents to herself while staring at the ceiling.

* * *

Maki tossed and turned on the bed, despite her best efforts, she couldn't do anything to get herself to sleep. Every time she would start to drift off, Umi invaded her thoughts. Every slip into sleep would be interrupted by a constricting sensation in her chest.

She glanced over at the small digital clock sitting on top of the desk across the room and saw that it was already 6am. She could hear doors opening and closing, accompanied by the sound of running water and what seemed to sound like two women conversing with one another.

"Nico, I told you to stop bringing strangers over to our home. We aren't some kind of safe haven for these people," a mature voice argued.

"I know, Mama, but she looked like she needed the help. Her clothes were all dirty and she looked like she had just been kick out of her home or something," a familiar voice argued back.

"I won't keep providing for your little homeless charity, Nico. If you're going to keep doing this, then I expect you to pay for their expenses with your own money," the mother shouted in a hushed volume.

"Fine! It's not like you're doing any better than I am," Nico replied.

"Someone has to stay home and watch the kids, if that wasn't a problem then we would be better off with money," Nico's mother pointed out.

Nico sighed, "It would be better if the two of us could work without having to leave the kids alone at home. Little Kokoro and Kokoa aren't old enough yet."

Maki could hear Nico's mother sigh along with her, "I'm going to go check on Maki, you go on ahead without me. I'll call the babysitter and leave money before I go to work."

Two different sets of footsteps went off in opposite directions. One of the sets inched closer to Maki's door and the other faded into silence after the opening and closing of a door.

The door handle to Maki's room shook and she quickly flipped around in her bed to pretend that she was asleep. Luckily she was able to turn in time before Nico could enter the room, "Maki? You awake?"

Maki remained silent as the footsteps grew louder with each step. She almost jumped when Nico placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, Maki, wake up."

The redhead tried her best to replicate the reaction of someone who was awoken. She opened her eyes slowly and stretched out to face the girl staring down at her, "Hmm?"

Nico frowned, "You didn't get any sleep, did you…"

Maki yawned in response, "What're you talking about?"

"Oh please, I have three younger siblings. You think I don't notice those dark bags underneath your eyes?" Nico pointed out.

Maki sighed, "You got me…"

"I just wanted to let you know before I leave for work that you're welcome to stay for as long as you like," she said with a smile.

Maki threw up her hands to politely decline the offer, "There's no way I can do that, besides, my friends will be worried," she replied.

"You have friends? Do they need a place to stay as well?" Nico asked eagerly.

Maki tilted her head, "Um… no, why would you ask that?"

"Well I'm just assuming they're in the same situation as you are," Nico answered.

Whatever Nico was trying to say was flying right over her head, "Situation?"

"You're homeless, aren't you?"

There was an awkward silence between the both of them until Maki bursted out into laughter, "H-homeless?!"

Nico looked at the redhead with concern, "Hey! What's so funny?"

"I'm not homeless," she managed to reply.

Nico gasped, "What? But I could have sworn you were! The clothes, the dirt and grime and the look on your face."

Maki settled down slowly and wiped her tears of laughter away, "I was just in my casual clothes and I was on the ground before I ran into you."

"What about the look on your face?" Nico brought up.

Maki's expression dropped significantly, "It was a bad night…"

The dark haired girl decided to back off after seeing almost the same expression from the night before. She cleared her throat and looked around, "Alright, well I have to get to work. I'll be out until 4."

"In the afternoon?" Maki asked.

"In the morning," Nico corrected.

Maki's eyes widened with shock, "You work from 6am to 4am?!"

"Well, it's more like 8am to 2am," Nico corrected once again.

"Why do you work that long? Shouldn't you have dropped dead from exhaustion by now?" Maki asked with concern.

"I have to help make money to take care of the family, so I work my butt off for the little ones. And it's not so bad, I've learned how to take little power naps to get me through the day," Nico answered.

Maki dropped her jaw in disbelief, "With that much work, shouldn't you be swimming in money?"

Nico flashed an expression of contempt before answering Maki's question, "You have your secrets, and so do I."

A silence fell between them before Nico changed the subject, "Where are your friends?"

"We all live in an apartment together several blocks away from here," Maki answered.

"Really? What do you all do?" Nico asked curiously.

Maki pulled on her collar to look as casual as she could, "We perform at a club."

"Pfft-" Nico let a laugh escape, "S-Sorry, so you perform?" her voice was shaky.

"What's so hard to believe about that?" Maki asked almost annoyed.

"I mean look at you, you might have good looks but I doubt you can sing, or whatever it is that you do. No offense."

The redhead was obviously offended, "I'll have you know that we are well known around the area!"

"As a joke?" Nico teased.

Maki puffed her cheeks, "Come to the club then."

"I'm too busy with work, remember?" Nico replied.

"We stay open until 4am, drop by for a quick song," Maki suggested.

Nico thought through it in her head, "Hmm, will you buy me a drink if I do?"

"Fine, you'll get a free drink if you come," Maki assured.

"Nice," Nico cheered to herself in celebrations to her future drink, "I'll be right back, I have to call the babysitter."

"I overheard that earlier," Maki replied, "I can babysit for you, it's the least I can do after staying the night."

"That would have worked if you were homeless, but you have a job don't you?" Nico responded.

Maki got up and followed the girl, "I don't have to be there until 8pm, will your mother by home by then?"

"I don't know. She job hops so some days she'll come home early, and other days she'll come home at the same time as I do," she answered, "Look, I appreciate the offer but a babysitter is the best option here."

"Listen, I overheard you and your mother arguing quietly this morning, I can take care of the kids until I have work. Besides, they should be asleep by 8 anyways right?"

Nico felt a sudden cold sweat, "Umm… Yeah, right…"

"Come on, let me repay you," the redhead insisted.

Nico sighed after getting her thoughts straight, "Alright fine, I think mama comes home early tonight... maybe."

"Great! Is there anything that I have to know for the kids?" Maki asked.

Nico stepped away and motioned for Maki to follow her, "First of all, don't give them any sugar. They are very crafty kids and they will try to trick you into giving them something sweet."

Maki nodded as Nico went on, "Kokoro and Kokoa like to play around a lot. They can be rough, but they shouldn't be too tough to handle. Koutaro likes to play with his toys so you can worry less about him. Just keep an eye on him from time to time, his nose runs a lot since he's still young."

"Alright," Maki took a deep breath and scratched her head, "That doesn't sound too bad."

Nico checked her wristwatch and gasped, "Oh geez, I have to get going before I miss the train. Good luck with the kids!"

Maki watched the girl run out the front door and glanced around aimlessly in the unknown house. Now that there was light, Maki could catch the details of the home. It wasn't that much more impressive than her apartment, however, it did have a very homely feel to it.

"Big sis…?" a small voice called out.

Maki turned around slowly to see a small girl standing by the doorway. It looked like she had just awoken and was rubbing her eyes, "Is Tuba already here?"

Maki looked around awkwardly until the small child was able to fixate her vision, "Ah! You're not Tuba! Who are you?"

Maki held out her hands, "No, no! I'm a friend of your big sis. I volunteered to look after you until your mother comes home."

The little girl squinted her eyes suspiciously, causing Maki to retract, "What's my big sister's name?"

Maki drew a blank and scratched her head in hopes to bring up her name, "N-Nico!"

Another small girl stepped past the other and yawned, "Kokoro? What's with all the noise, is Tsubasa already here?"

Maki made eye contact with the other one and was met with a loud gasp and point, "Who's the tomato head?!"

"T-Tomato head…?" Maki muttered quietly.

"I don't know, Kokoa, but she says that she's looking after us today and that she's a friend of big sis," she replied.

Kokoa squinted the same way Kokoro did and pointed at Maki once again, "What's our sister's last name?"

Maki again drew a blank before suddenly remembering the terrible joke Nico had said the night before, "Yazawa! Her name is Yazawa Nico!"

The two little sister's looked at each other with concern, "What do we do, Kokoro?"

"We need to keep asking questions. Everyone should know about the great supermodel Yazawa Nico!" Kokoro replied.

Kokoa nodded with vigor and looked at Maki again, "What is our brother's name?"

"Kou… Kou… tarou!" Maki managed to muster.

The sisters looked at each other again, "We're running out of questions, Kokoro!"

"Let's just keep making them up until Tsubasa comes," Kokoro replied.

The sisters nodded in unison and glanced over at Maki again, "Explain how you got here!"

Maki sighed, "I guess I'll play along with them…"

After an hour of questioning, the kids calmed down and seemed to accept that Maki was indeed a friend of their older sister.

"Hey tomato head, what can you do?" Kokoro asked.

"Stop calling me that…" Maki responded, "I don't know, I can play the piano and sing."

The sister's eyes lit up, "You can sing AND play piano and the same time?!"

Maki backed away, "Y-Yeah, it's not that special…"

"Show us!" Kokoa insisted.

"Yeah show us!" Kokoro joined.

Maki held her hands up, "No way! You guys don't even have a piano."

"Yes we do, come on follow us!" the sisters grabbed Maki's hands and pulled as hard as their little bodies could.

Maki put up a small fight before giving in and going along with them. They led her from the living room to a door at the end of the hallway. When they opened the door, dust escaped from the cracks and Maki glanced inside to see a piano covered with a large white sheet of cloth.

"Geez, how long has it been since this has been used?" Maki commented.

"Big sis used to play the piano all the time until she became a workaholic," the sisters answered, "We really miss it, so can you play for us?"

Maki sighed and made her way to the piano seat. It was coated with a thick layer of dust which Maki wiped away by using her sleeve. She pulled on the cloth that covered the piano to see a grand piano in very good condition, "Okay…"

Maki placed her fingers lightly on the keys and began playing the piano. She closed eyes and embraced every note that the piano played. Despite the appearance of the room, the piano seemed to be the only thing that was protected from it.

"Take a look at me, tell me what you see,

There's a broken heart,

There's a shattered dream,

And it's all over my face,

Cause I'm all alone, on this empty road,

I've been abandoned by the only love I've known,"

Maki began singing a song as soon as she started getting into the groove of things. The way her body felt while she played the piano was somehow calm and troubling at the same time. Memories of Umi flashed in her eyes every time she closed her eyes and there was no way to stop that from happening.

"We were more than golden

More than perfect

Now the price went down

We're worthless

I know you're never coming back

Never coming back...To me…"

She felt herself getting more and more into the song, as if something was possessing her to keep playing and singing.

"Haunted by the memories

Your voice echoes in my sleep

I'm just falling down

Yeah I'm drowning now

Cuz you just walked away

Somewhere in the atmosphere

Forever's disappeared

And there's no way that we're gonna get it back,"

Every word she sang was accompanied with memories of her with Umi. She felt a warmness in her heart that was both comforting and damaging. She fought back her urge to cry, it was the only thing she could control now.

"Where did you go?

Life just ain't the same without you

I'm still reaching for your love

Cause I just can't go on without it

I wanna breathe you

Wanna feel you

Tomorrow's just too long for me to wait

I need you back today."

Maki struck the final note on the piano and felt a tear start to roll down her cheek. She jumped at the sound of applause and quickly turned to wipe away the tear, "Tomato head, you were really good!"

Maki managed to smile back at them, "Thank you…"

"Can you play more songs? Don't worry, you don't have to sing, we really like the sound of the piano," Kokoro asked.

Maki nodded and began playing the piano casually. Despite not singing, she placed all of her feelings behind every note that she played. Umi was still on her mind, and there was nothing she could do on her own that would change that.


	3. Chapter 3

Eli sprung awoke the next morning with a splitting headache, "I shouldn't have drank last night..."

The blonde glanced at her digital clock and took a deep breath before standing up, "Hey Red, you awake?" she called out.

Eli waited for an answer that never came, "I'm going to guess that Blue isn't in the house?"

Again no response.

Eli sighed and grabbed a change of clothes before heading to the bath. After she was tidy and clean, she paced into the kitchen and opened the fridge for a quick sports drink.

There was still time before Anju would be here to pick her up, "I should go check on Red."

Eli made her way into Maki's room and saw no one in the bed, "Where did she go?"

She stepped out of the room and checked her cell phone for any messages from the others. There weren't any. Eli quickly sent a group text to the both of them and made her way to the couch. She spent the next hour channel surfing until she was interrupted by a knock on the door, "Coming!"

Eli hopped off the couch and made her way to the front door. When she opened the door she was instantly greeted by a hug from a much shorter brunette girl, "Eli!"

The blonde stumbled back a few steps before regaining her posture, "Hey Anju…"

Anju's pearlescent lavender eyes looked up at Eli and she smiled, "Come on, let's hurry to our date."

"Hold on, let me lock up and make sure everything is turned off," Eli replied.

Anju tugged on Eli's arm, "There's no time for that, come on!"

Eli felt herself getting pulled out of the apartment and put up enough effort to lock the door before she was dragged down the corridor.

After a very clumsy adventure down the stairs, the two swung around the corner to see a car that was still on, "You know it's dangerous to leave your car unattended with the keys in the ignition…" Eli said.

"I couldn't wait to see you, so it's worth the risk," the brunette answered.

Anju opened the passenger side door and practically pushed Eli in before making her way around the front of the car to the driver's seat.

Eli managed to get into a comfortable position in her seat and looked around. The car was very familiar because of the fact that she used to sit in it every other day when she was actively dating Anju.

It still had the lingering scent of chocolate that Eli enjoyed and she slowly began to relax as Anju brought the car up to a light cruising speed, "So how are you?" Anju asked.

Eli shut her eyes and shrugged, "Been the same, I guess."

"How are the others?" Anju asked again.

"Red and Blue are kind of avoiding each other right now, I think," Eli answered.

Anju glanced over at Eli, "But those two have always been together, what happened?"

"I don't want to pry into their private lives," Eli ended the discussion by turning her head away from Anju and staring out the window. She was concerned about her two best friends, but Anju was the only person on her mind at the moment.

The two of them have done this little performance many times before, and Eli had no idea why she always fell into it.

"Maybe things will be different this time."

She always thought about it in that light, but every time this happened, that was never the case.

"Eli? Hey Eli! Listen to me when I'm talking to you," Anju snapped.

Eli shook her head and sat back up, "Yeah? What is it?"

"So I was thinking that we go on a little shopping spree and a nice little early dinner," Anju said.

"Yeah, sure. That sounds good," Eli replied.

Anju smiled and sped up the car. The two idly chatted the entire time until Anju was able to find a parking spot at the shopping center, "Let's go, Eli!"

The two of them quickly exited the car and Anju immediately latched onto Eli's arm. Eli wanted to keep as much distance away from Anju as possible, but it was obvious that the brunette wouldn't allow for that to happen. Eli didn't even know why she agreed to go on a shopping spree with Anju, she didn't even particularly like going on shopping trips.

"Let's go see the new lineup they have over in that store! I heard the Minami line came out just a few days ago," Anju dragged Eli into a clothing store and picked up a few clothes, "What do you think about this?"

"It's cute," Eli replied.

"Should I try it on?" Anju asked.

Eli shrugged, "Nothing is going to stop you, right?"

Anju poked Eli's nose and smiled, "You know me so well, I'll be right back~"

Anju stepped into the changing room and came out a few moments later in the blouse she picked up, "So? How do I look?"

Eli couldn't lie, despite everything the two of them have been through, Anju was always a pretty woman in Eli's eyes, "You look stunning."

The brunette laughed and twirled around in the blouse, "I know I am, hehe."

Anju stepped back into the dressing room and came out wearing a new set of clothes for Eli to judge, she couldn't deny that Anju looked great in each one she changed into.

"Okay, that should be enough for this store, let's keep moving!" Anju stated.

Eli was handed the bag to hold and the two were off to another clothing store. They must have spent a good one or two hours shopping and by the end of it, Eli has holding multiple bags of clothing, makeup and other cosmetic goods.

"Umm, Anju? Do you mind carrying a few of these?" Eli asked.

The brunette turned around with an almost confused look before grabbing two bags from Eli, "Is that better?"

Eli shook her head and struggled to hold the rest of the bags, "Not exactly."

"Do you really need me to carry more? Aren't you strong enough to do it for me?" Anju asked.

Eli frowned, "It's not about being strong enough to carry these, it's the fact that I can't carry all of them comfortably."

Anju shrugged and turned to continue walking, "Well, you can endure it for a little while longer, can't you?"

Eli sighed and followed after her.

* * *

The two eventually ended up in a built in restaurant where Eli was finally able to relax and set the numerous bags down on the floor.

"Hey, put them under the table so nobody can steal or kick the bags," Anju ordered.

Eli did as she said and placed all of the bags underneath the table away from any unknowing feet, "There…"

Anju smiled and leaned over to give Eli a kiss on the cheek, "That's why I love you."

Eli blushed and cleared her throat, promptly picking up the menu for cover, "S-So, what are you going to get?"

"Hmm… probably a salad and something low carb to stay in shape," Anju replied.

"Uh huh…" Eli looked down at the list of food items carefully until she spotted something she liked.

"Are you two ready to order?" a light voice asked.

Eli set the menu down and glanced up at a young waitress with emerald eyes and purple colored hair braided to the side, she was very cute.

"I'll have the low fat lemon and pepper chicken with a chopped salad please, no dressing," Anju ordered.

The waitress took down her order and glanced over at Eli, "And for you?"

"Oh, um… I would like a medium rare steak with a baked potato, I guess," Eli answered.

"Eh? A steak? But it's full of fat, shouldn't you cut down on that?" Anju blurted.

Eli's eyes showed surprise, "But I want to eat it…"

"Fine, go ahead," Anju waved.

Eli glanced up at the waitress again while she wrote down her order, "Okay, so we have a low fat lemon and pepper chicken with a chopped salad and a steak meal with a baked potato. Is that all for today?"

Eli raised her hand politely, "Can I have a slice of chocolate cake for later?"

"Chocolate cake? No, you're not putting that in your body," Anju stated.

Eli looked around nervously, "Come on Anju, I haven't had any in awhile…"

"No, I'm looking out for your health. If I say it's bad, then you can't have it," she said strongly.

Eli gave up and waved the waitress off, "Nevermind…"

The waitress cleared her throat, "While I get your order ready, would you two care for some drinks?"

Eli raised her voice for a soda, but Anju answered quicker than her, "Just water for us."

The waitress bowed and left the two of them alone, "Hey Anju…" Eli whispered, "Did you really have to do that in front of the waitress?"

"Do what?" Anju questioned.

"That whole thing about looking out for me," Eli replied.

"What? I can't look out for you? Isn't it normal for someone to do that for someone they like?" Anju answered.

Eli gave up on it and looked away, "Nevermind…"

Anju shrugged and pulled out her cellphone to play around with until the food came. Eli glanced around and people watched while Anju was busy with her phone.

She kept her eyes on the waitress from earlier, she was definitely cute. It seemed like she was very well loved in the restaurant and her smile was admittedly a little contagious.

Eli watched her walk up to the counter and spotted what looked like the food they had ordered. The two made eye contact and Eli was greeted with another smile. The blonde looked away at Anju who was still busy on her phone, "I think our food is coming."

Anju locked her phone and set it down, "It's about time, I'm starving."

The waitress arrived at their table and set down the plates, "Here are your orders and water, thank you for waiting."

"Thank you," Eli replied.

Anju nodded and quickly began inspecting the food in front of her, she made a strange face, "Is this fresh?"

The waitress nodded, "Our food is guaranteed fresh!"

Eli remembered how Anju was a picky eater. If she found one thing wrong in the slightest, she would refuse to eat it. Eli nervously watched Anju cut herself a piece of the chicken breast and consume it.

Anju chewed slowly to make sure everything was alright with the chicken. She swallowed and closed her eyes, "This will suffice."

Eli breathed a sigh of relief, she was afraid that if Anju didn't like the food, she would make a scene. The blonde took a deep breath and smiled at the wonderful steak laying in front of her. It was large, steaming and looked to be juicy enough for Eli to sink her teeth into with joy.

She picked up her silverware and began cutting off a piece of the steak for herself. She devoured it and wore a pleased expression as the mixes of seasoning and juices collided on her tastebuds.

"Do you have to make such a face?" Anju joked.

Eli snapped back to reality and began cutting another piece immediately, "It's so good, do you want a piece?"

Anju held up her hand, "No thanks, I'm fine with my food over here."

Eli shrugged and dug into her baked potato which was also well crafted.

"How's the food?" the waitress returned to their table to check on things to see if everything was satisfactory.

"This steak and baked potato is wonderful!" Eli cheered.

Anju nodded, "It's good enough to eat."

"I'm happy that you two are enjoying your meal, please raise your hand for me when you're finished," the waitress said with a bow.

The two nodded and returned to their eating. Eli glanced over at Anju who ate her food unenthusiastically and then began her usual people watching routine.

It didn't take long for Eli to get bored, she wanted to talk with Anju, but it seemed like that was harder than it was.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Eli heard. She glanced over almost excited to talk to Anju only to see her on her cellphone.

"Yeah I'm out with somebody. Really? No way! So you showed up to the house and they replaced you with a different babysitter? What a jerk move," Anju ended with a hearty laugh.

Eli signed and picked at her now empty plate. Upon inspection, Anju's plate was almost untouched, "Hey Anju, aren't you going to finish your food?"

Anju furrowed her brow and covered the phone, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" That response ticked Eli off. If this was supposed to be a date, then why did it feel like she was getting ignored?

Eli stood up and dusted herself off, "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Yeah yeah, go ahead," Anju waved off.

Going to the bathroom was obviously a lie. Eli didn't even have a need to, she just wanted an excuse to leave the table and get away from the situation.

Eli sighed and took a seat at the small bar that the restaurant had, "Can you make me a sweet drink with a dash of vodka?"

"We don't serve alcohol here, miss," the person behind the counter replied.

"Well, what do you have?" Eli asked.

"We have soda, tea, water, fruit smoothies or bubble tea if you would like?" the bar attendant replied.

"Bubble tea?" Eli questioned.

"It's essentially a fruit smoothie or milk tea with tapioca balls on the bottom," the waitress from before took a seat next to Eli and explained what it was.

"Oh… I guess I'll try it then," Eli requested.

"I'll have one too, Nico, strawberry please," the waitress said.

"Sure thing, Nozomi, how about you ma'am?" Nico asked.

"Umm… I guess strawberry too," Eli replied.

"Coming right up," Nico said with a smile.

Eli let out a sigh and leaned onto the counter.

"What's wrong? Shouldn't you be over at your table with your girlfriend?" Nozomi asked.

Eli laughed, "No, she isn't my girlfriend. It's complicated, she's on a phone call right now."

"It surely must be a date then?" Nozomi asked.

Eli shrugged in response, "I guess you can call it that. Doesn't really feel much like one as usual…"

Nozomi frowned, "It sounds like you two had a lot of history."

"Yeah, you got that right…" Eli replied.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nozomi asked kindly.

Eli shrugged her off, "No it's fine, I shouldn't be ranting to strangers anyways."

Nozomi turned herself to face Eli, "Sometimes it's better to speak about our troubles with someone else."

Eli glanced over at Anju who appeared to be engaged in an exciting phone call. She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and displeasement, "... Anju always does this…"

"I'm assuming the girl you're with is named Anju then?" Nozomi asked.

Eli nodded and leaned onto the counter, "We dated a while back and we've been having this on and off thing going on…"

Nozomi remained silent for Eli to finish, "I don't know… when we started dating, it was more than her good looks. She was nice and treated me like she actually cared about me. It felt like we were on cloud nine..."

Eli shook her head and glanced back at Anju, "It started changing when she began suspecting me of going out with other women behind her back."

"Why would she think that? There has to be some logical reasoning right?" Nozomi asked.

"I work at a club that doesn't close until 3 or 4am. so I'm busy during nights, I guess she thought I was out having fun with other girls," Eli answered.

"Anyways, I told her that nothing was wrong and that she could ask my roommates about it. But then she started saying mean things about my roommates too. Stuff like they're the wrong crowd or they're just using me…" Eli glanced at Nozomi to get a peek of her reaction. Nozomi's face was relaxed and she showed a sense of understanding.

"After that our relationship kinda just started falling out of the loop and we eventually broke it off. I'm pathetic though…" Eli grumbled.

"Aww, why do you say that?" Nozomi asked with concern.

"No matter how many times we break up, she always makes me run back to her… I don't understand it… I know how she really is, but I just keep on coming back…" Eli said depressingly. Nozomi reached her hand out and started patting Eli's back gently to help her relax.

"Your drinks are done," Nico said as she placed two cups in front of them, "Enjoy!"

Nozomi grabbed hers and began sipping on it immediately while Eli took her time taking her first sip, "It's good…" the blonde commented.

"So, tell me about yourself," Nozomi said out of the blue.

Eli wore a confused look, "Huh?"

"You said you had a night job, tell me about it," Nozomi replied.

"Oh… I perform at a big band club," Eli answered.

"Oh really? That sounds like fun!" Nozomi commented.

"My two best friends work there with me too," Eli said with a happier tone.

Nozomi tilted her head in question, "Oh really? What are their names?"

"Umi, I call her Blue because of her hair. And Maki, who I call Red and you probably can guess the reason there," Eli answered.

"Oh wow, maybe I should come visit this club one day to see you and your friends sometime," Nozomi replied with a laugh.

"We work at the Big Band Wolf Club, our manager Erena is a good bartender too," Eli added.

Nozomi giggled, "That sounds like it would be a lot of fun!"

Eli nodded and smiled at the lighthearted conversation she was engaged in. It had been a while since she was able to sit down and shoot the breeze without any care.

"So, what about Anju?" Nozomi asked.

Eli tilted her head, "What about her?"

"Well you have nicknames for your friends, shouldn't you have a nickname for her?" Nozomi questioned.

Eli twisted her face in attempts to get an answer, "Hmm… I did try calling her Juju once but she didn't like it. Besides, she was my girlfriend so I wanted her to be special and call her by her real name, I guess."

Nozomi shrugged, "If she went by Juju, I'm pretty sure you can call her bad juju…"

An awkward silence fell between the both of them before Eli burst into laughter, "Bad Juju?! Oh my gosh that is so cheesy!"

"You two seem to be getting friendly…"

Eli's eyes widened and she went stiff when she heard the voice. She slowly turned her head to see Anju standing behind her, "A-Anju?"

"Eli, I thought you were going to the bathroom…" Anju said.

"I got a little thirsty so I was getting a drink, do you want to try some?" Eli held out the bubble tea and it was knocked out of her hand and spilled onto the floor, "Hey, that wasn't necessary!"

"What are you doing? Why are you talking to this woman on OUR date?!" Anju's voice began raising.

"We were just having a normal conversation," Eli replied, "Besides, you were busy talking on the phone with someone else so I don't see the problem with me talking with someone els-"

The blonde was instantly met with a smack across her face, paralyzing her with shock, "Get my bags, we're leaving now!"

Eli held her cheek and looked at Anju with widened eyes, "A-Anju…?"

Anju crossed her arms and kept yelling, "You heard me! Go get the bags, we're leaving!"

Overcome with fear and sadness, Eli was attacked by a mix of emotions. A woman that she cared for just harmed her and there was no way to describe the feeling she was going through. She reluctantly got off the bar stool and made her way to the table to start picking up the bags.

"And you, how dare you hit on my woman!" Anju pointed at Nozomi.

"Easy there speed racer, we were just having a normal conversation," Nozomi replied.

"Yeah, sure. I bet you were just trying to manipulate Eli into leaving me for you," Anju replied.

"Listen honey, I don't know where your disillusions come from, but you're a bad girlfriend," Nozomi called out.

"B-Bad girlfriend!" Anju lunged forward and grabbed Nozomi by the collar, "Eli loves me! She doesn't need anyone else!"

"I pity her for having to date someone like you," Nozomi replied.

"Why you little-" Anju held up her hand and balled it into a fist.

"Nozomi, duck!" Nico shouted.

Nozomi did as she was told and Anju was instantly splashed with a large cup of water, "Ugh! This shirt was made of cashmere! Do you know how much I spent on this?!"

Nico shrugged, "Not my problem, you come into our restaurant and disturb our place of business? You have no right to be here!"

Anju let go of Nozomi and stormed over to Eli, "Let's go! I'll be contacting your manager, I hope you go jobless!"

Eli tangled around with the bags in her hand as she was pulled by Anju and tripped over her own feet in the process, "Eli! You crushed all my stuff!"

"I'm sorry, you were pulling me so hard…" Eli replied.

"Get up already!" Anju yelled.

"Can you please stop yelling? People are looking…" Eli asked.

"I don't care, they can look all they want!" Anju yelled back.

"I can't watch this anymore, Nico…" Nozomi whispered.

Nico glanced over at Nozomi, "What are you going to do?"

Nozomi started undoing her apron uniform and handed it to Nico before tying her hair up, "I'm going to stop it. And if a fight breaks out, I need you to vouch for me, okay?"

Nico nodded and watched Nozomi make her way across the room.

"Hurry up Eli, you're embarrassing me!" Anju yelled.

"I'm trying… you have all this stuff so it's hard to carry it all…" Eli replied.

"Hey! Lay off the girl!" Nozomi yelled.

"She's mine, you have no say in this!" Anju yelled back.

"Eli, your name is Eli, right? Come to the back of the restaurant, we'll keep you away from this egotistical maniac," Nozomi said to Eli.

"Egotistical Maniac?! Are you looking for a fight?!" Anju shouted.

"I-It's okay, we'll just leave…" Eli said quietly.

"Are you just going to stand there and let her insult me, Eli?!" Anju yelled.

"I…"

Nozomi held out her hand, "Eli, come with me, we'll keep you safe from her."

"You are not laying a hand on her!" Anju stormed forward and slapped Nozomi's hand away quickly.

Nozomi grasped her hand and smirked, "You're the one that physically harmed her. Who does that to someone they care about?"

"Listen here you little roach…" Anju stepped closer until the two of them were practically breathing on each other, "You do not know a single thing about me and Eli."

"I do know that she is tired of your abuse," Nozomi answered.

"Abuse?! Who told you that lie?" Anju question.

Nozomi scoffed, "I just saw it minutes ago, and besides, she told me herself."

Anju's eyes widened and she looked over at Eli, "What did you say about me?"

Eli looked around nervously, "Nothing…"

"Don't lie to me, Eli. What did you say?" Anju backed away from Nozomi and approached the blonde, "Tell me!"

Anju raised her hand and it was instantly restrained by Nozomi, "If you hit her one more time, I will take you down."

Anju struggled to escape from Nozomi's grip, "Why the hell are you so strong?! Let go of me, I need to talk with my date!"

Nozomi glanced over at Nico, "Take our guest to the back room until I finish dealing with this."

Nico nodded and shuffled over to Eli, "Please come with me, you can leave the bags here if they aren't yours."

Eli hesitated before Nico grasped her hand and started pulling her toward the back, "Don't leave me, Eli! Please!"

Eli's heart sank, the look on Anju's face was the same one she used to always get her way, "Don't do it, Eli. She's just going to win you over to abuse you another day!" Nozomi yelled.

Nico pulled on Eli harder until the two of them were out of sight, leaving Anju and Nozomi alone out front.

"I'm going to have a word with your manager about this," Anju threatened.

"We don't tolerate this kind of behavior at our restaurant, leave now before we kick you out," Nozomi threatened back.

Anju flinched when she felt more pressure on her arm, "I'll make sure this restaurant crashes and burns once I'm out of here."

Nozomi pushed on Anju until they were out of the restaurant, "Good luck, princess."

Nozomi shoved Anju away and stepped back into the restaurant, instantly greeted with applause from the customers. She rubbed the back of her neck and smiled awkwardly, "Sorry about all the noise, please go back to enjoying your meal."

She waited until the applause died down before making her way to the backroom where Nico had taken Eli. When she stepped through the door, she could see the blonde struggling to leave, "Hey, take it easy…" Nozomi instructed.

Eli reluctantly stopped putting up a fight against Nico and took a seat, "Oh god… What is Anju going to do now…?"

She felt a pat on her back and looked up to see Nozomi gently gazing back at her, "You don't have to worry about her anymore."

Eli shook her head, "You don't understand, Anju doesn't give up that easily. She'll keep trying to get me back and she'll keep being successful at it because I'm an idiot…"

Nozomi knelt down and rubbed Eli's back gently, "Don't say that about yourself, she's been manipulating you, can you really say that you love her?"

Eli nodded weakly, but that wasn't enough for Nozomi, "Did you fall in love with her because she gave you the attention you wanted? Do you love her, or do you love what she did for you?"

Eli stared down at the ground trying to muster up some sort of response to Nozomi's question, "...I don't know…"

Nozomi smiled and pat Eli's head, "Then you shouldn't date her if you can't even answer that question. It's a lot better to date someone knowing that you fell in love with them rather than falling in love with what they did for you."

Eli shrugged, "Thanks… I guess…"

Nico took a deep breath and stood up, "Well, now that we've settled that, I've got to get going."

"It's already time for you to leave?" Nozomi asked.

Nico rubbed the back of her head, "Yeah, my next job starts in an hour so I've gotta get there while I can."

"Alright then, good luck," Nozomi replied.

Nico smiled and placed her hand on Eli's shoulder, "Hey blondy, don't hesitate to visit the restaurant, we're always here to help."

Eli nodded and watched Nico walk off to her locker to get changed, "Do you two always get this friendly with a customer?"

Nozomi shrugged and leaned back, "We usually don't deal with situations like today that often. When we do, usually this is where we end up."

"Back there when you restrained Anju, I never expected you to have some sort of self defense training," Eli commented.

Nozomi smirked and sarcastically flexed her arms, "Grandma taught me a few moves while I was young, I was just lucky Anju didn't know any of the counters."

Eli cleared her throat and pulled out her cellphone to see numerous new messages from Anju. She looked at Nozomi with a worried expression, "What should I do?"

Nozomi grabbed Eli's phone and promptly asked her to enter the passcode before navigating to the messages and reading what Anju had to say. They were all nasty comments about how Eli didn't stand up for her and how she was humiliated by the whole thing.

She also threw in some insults about Nozomi, but the lavender haired girl quickly shrugged them off and deleted the messages for Eli, "There you go."

"Umm… thanks? I could have done that myself," Eli replied while taking the phone.

"I doubt it, you need someone else to keep you leveled when dealing with that woman," Nozomi said with a sigh.

Eli gripped her phone tightly, she knew that Nozomi was right, "What if she keeps messaging me or calling me?"

Nozomi thought for a few seconds before offering her suggestion, "I would say to ignore them or block her number."

Eli sighed and glanced at her phone, there was still a few hours before she had work but she had no way of transportation now that Anju was gone.

"What's wrong now?" Nozomi asked out of concern.

Eli hesitated to speak up, "Well… Now that Anju is gone, I don't have a way back home."

"I can drive you back," Nozomi replied.

Eli threw up her hands, "No, you can't. Besides, doesn't the restaurant need you?"

"Hmm… I suppose you're right. How about you wait here until I'm on break? It should be coming up soon," Nozomi suggested.

Eli looked around the room, "It's a little awkward sitting in here all alone, maybe I'll just sit at the bar area until your break."

"Sounds good, you'll be home soon, I promise!" Nozomi smiled and quickly left the room to get back to work. Eli followed after her and grabbed her seat from before. The drink that was slapped out of her hands was already cleaned from the floor and the restaurant was back to normal as if the whole conflict never happened in the first place.

By the time she came to her senses, a small purse landed right next to her on the counter and Nozomi stepped into her peripherals, "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yeah sure, um… how much was it for the lunch and drink?" Eli asked.

"Don't worry, I'll cover it, at least for your portion of the meal," Nozomi winked, "Oh! By the way…" the girl reached over to her side and presented Eli with a slice of chocolate cake, "I remember you saying that you wanted a slice, so I grabbed one before my break."

Eli smiled, "Thank you so much."

Nozomi covered up the cake and handed it over for Eli to hold, "Alright, let's get going then!"

* * *

Eli nodded and followed the girl who playfully swung her keys around with her fingers, "You mentioned that you worked in a club, what do you do there? Are you a bouncer?"

Eli giggled, "No way! I just perform there."

"Oh? What do you do? A little bit of bass? Some jazzy saxophone? Some wicked keyboard?" Nozomi said with exaggerated character.

Eli smiled and played along, "Oh yeah, I kill the stage with my sick guitar moves."

The two posed like rockstars in the middle of the parking lot before breaking out in laughter, "Come on, what do you do for real?"

"I sing showtunes," Eli answered.

"Oh? Like shooby dooby?" Nozomi replied with a tiny tap dance.

Eli shook her head and snickered, "No, more like Sinatra."

"It's the most wonderful time of the year~!" Nozomi belted.

"That's Andy Williams," Eli said with a giggle.

"At least I'm kind of close," Nozomi giggled back.

The two reached Nozomi's car and stepped inside. It was a much more smaller and compact car than Anju's and it was a little dirtier, "Sorry for the mess, I don't usually have many people in my car," Nozomi apologized.

"No, it's alright, beggars can't be choosers," Eli replied.

Nozomi smiled and turned on the radio, "Hey, how about you sing a song for me?"

Eli flinched back and blushed, "Huh?!"

"Aww come on, you can't tell me that you sing and then not expect me to ask for a song," Nozomi replied.

"But singing for one person… that's kind of embarrassing," Eli responded back.

"Please? Just one song, I promise. You can even sing whatever is playing right now," Nozomi begged.

Eli slumped her shoulders and pulled out her phone, "Fine…"

Nozomi reached over and pushed on the buttons, switching the radio station at a steady pace for Eli to hear.

The blonde raised her hand when she recognized a song on one of the stations, "Umm… okay, this song is Miserable Rain by Yukino… It's the only one I know that's playing right now."

Eli bobbed her head and listened to the gentle piano instrumental that opened the song. Once it was nearing the start of the first verse, Eli prepared herself to sing,

"The cold wind softly passes through, stroking me. Though I try to seek the warmth of your hands, they don't return.

As though I yearned for too much, I feel regret, on and on."

Eli's chest began to ache as the lyrics began to coincide with her memories of Anju. Despite everything the two of them have been through, Eli couldn't deny her emotions and feelings towards the brunette.

"So I cannot stay in this miserable rain, and I'm looking for your shadow here, so take me now.  
There's no one to offer me an umbrella.  
Cold drops trace down my cheeks.  
Even now, whenever I'm wet by the rain, I end up remembering those distant precious days."

Eli felt her voice cracking and thrusted her hand forward to turn off the radio, "I-I'm sorry, I can't do this…"

She stared at her lap and fought back her urge to breakdown. A hand crept into her sight and it placed itself over her own. She looked up to see Nozomi smiling gently at her, "It's okay, you don't have to keep going. It's my fault for insisting."

"N-No, it's not your fault at all… I just started to think about Anju when I was singing and…" Eli hung her head again.

She felt Nozomi squeezing her hand softly, "It's okay to cry, Eli."

"I-I'm not going to cry…" Eli replied.

Nozomi responded with silence and another squeeze around Eli's hand. She kept her eyes on the road but she could pick up that Eli was sniffling and trying her hardest not to break down, "Come here…"

Nozomi brought her hand behind Eli's head and pulled her into her shoulder. It was instantly soaked with warm and wet tears. She remained silent and pet the blonde's head gently until she was able to calm down.

The rest of the ride remained silent as the two women feared to break the silence. Eli forced herself out of Nozomi's grasp and wiped away her remaining tears, "Uh, my apartment is right up here…"

Nozomi nodded and brought the car to a slow stop, "Well, it was nice meeting you today, Eli. I wish we could have met under better circumstances."

Eli smiled and stepped out of the car, "Thank you for the ride home," she said with a bow.

Nozomi nodded and watched Eli close the door to her car gently. She quickly rolled down the window and shouted, "Hey, Eli!"

The blonde turned around slowly and looked back at her, "Yes?"

Nozomi looked around nervously, "You're always welcome at the restaurant, Nico and I will be there for you."

Eli smiled happily and nodded, "I'll see you again."

The blonde turned back to the door and made her way inside. Nozomi stayed in front of the apartment complex until she was sure Eli was safe inside before driving back to the restaurant.

"I hope she doesn't end up running back to Anju…" Nozomi muttered, "I better call Nico and give her an update."

She pulled her car over to the side and dialed in Nico's number. After a few rings, the line was picked up and filled with heavy breaths, "Nozomi? Why are you calling?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I got Eli home safely," Nozomi replied.

"Oh really? That's great, listen, I'm in a hurry so I'm going to hang up," Nico replied in between breaths.

"Aww don't do that, I just want to speak with my best friend," Nozomi baited.

"Alright, fine. What's up? We literally saw each other like 45 minutes ago," Nico pointed out.

"Have you gotten anywhere with your boyfriend?" Nozomi asked.

Nico scoffed, "Boyfriend? I told you we was just a co-worker from another job. Besides, he's a total tool."

"What's wrong with that?" Nozomi asked.

Nico shrugged, "I don't know, he's just not the right guy for me."

Nozomi held her chin in thought before continuing, "Anything new happen lately then? What about that whole homeless thing you were doing over the past few months?"

"It's funny that you bring that up, I actually helped one last night… well… not exactly helped… she wasn't actually homeless," Nico replied.

Nozomi's head tilted in question, "Not homeless? How did you get that wrong?"

Nico furrowed her brow, "Her clothes were dirty and the look on her face was the same as the other's I've seen."

"Oh yeah? And where is this girl now?" Nozomi asked.

"She offered to take care of the kids until Mama gets home to repay for spending the night," Nico answered.

Nozomi began twirling her hair in between her fingers, "Mind if I ask for her name?"

"Why?" Nico asked cautiously.

"I'm just curious, is that so wrong?" Nozoki countered.

"Well, not really. Her name is Maki, she's got this unnatural red hair, I think she uses dyes or something," Nico replied.

"Maki… huh…" Nozomi muttered.

Nico was barely able to pick up Nozomi's voice, "What was that?" she felt a bump against her back and was pushed against the wall, "Geez this train is so crowded…"

"Are you okay, Nico?" Nozomi asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Look, I've got to hurry to work so I need to hang up for real this time," Nico stated.

"Alright, I'll let you go," Nozomi said with an exaggerated sigh.

"See you tomorrow, Nozomi," Nico responded.

"I'll see you too," she replied.

Nozomi brought her phone away from her ear and slid her finger across the screen to end the call. She pressed the top of her phone against her lips and grinned, "Maki… this could get interesting…"


End file.
